…and it all came crashing down. Again.
In the wake of the Ravens’ divisional round loss to the Buffalo Bills Sunday evening, the utterly predictable finger-pointing and play-shaming has become tiresome. Ravens fans are indeed a passionate bunch, but I fear they – and perhaps NFL fans in general – have fallen victim to the notion that “anything less than a title is unacceptable” for a sports franchise.
I submit that these people are probably no fun to be around, and have little joy in their lives.
The Ravens still won a playoff game this season, as they’ve done three of the six times they’ve reached the playoffs since Lamar Jackson ascended to starting QB. They don’t get blown out or embarrassed in the losses; the last two “ouster” games have been tantalizingly close to changing the “playoff chokers” narrative that still erroneously infects team coverage and most notably Jackson himself.
My only advice: Try appreciating what they’ve accomplished as opposed to what you deem a failure. There are worse things than rooting for a consistent playoff entrant that clearly wants to be better, even if it hasn’t yet translated into a title.
I submit Jackson has played reasonably well in the playoffs. His victorious opponents, save perhaps the 2019 Titans, have been nearly perfect in their execution.
That’s a mighty tough standard to consistently match up to, and fans don’t seem to fully grasp, if they ever did, how incredibly difficult it is to win a title, let alone against teams that rarely commit mistakes.
Regardless, the Ravens lost, 25-27, and committed three turnovers, two of which led to 10 Buffalo points. Jackson (18-25, 254 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 lost fumble) nearly led his team back from the proverbial abyss, drawing within a two point conversion of tying the game late in the fourth quarter, only to have normally sure-handed TE Mark Andrews (5 catches, 61 yards) drop a conversion pass he normally handles with ease.
I could stop there, as the remaining details seem almost irrelevant. The Ravens’ vaunted offense was limited by bad weather and a disciplined Buffalo defense that held renowned RB Derrick Henry to 84 yards. TE Isaiah Likely added four catches for 73 yards and a TD.
The Ravens’ defense held the Bills to 274 total yards yet still surrendered 27 points; a net effect of providing short fields and poor special teams execution. The pass rush produced just one sack and no turnovers, with no real statistics of note save perhaps OLB Kyle Van Noy (3 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2 QB hits).
And so the 2024 season ends for the AFC North.
Look for feature pieces and general goofiness the next month or so.
Go easy and enjoy the offseason.
